Internews Media Leadership Awards (part 1)

Internews Media Leadership Awards – Filmanthropist Ted Leonsis, Journalist Mariane Pearl Receive Honors at Internews Media Leadership Awards Vietnamese Environmental Reporter, Kenyan Radio Host and Ukrainian Media Rights Advocate Also Share Awards at Newseum Ceremony Washington, D.C. Businessman, philanthropist and film producer Ted Leonsis and award-winning international journalist Mariane Pearl were honored Thursday evening at the 2008 Internews Media Leadership Awards in Washington, D.C. Internews, an international media development nonprofit, presented awards to Leonsis and Pearl at an event at the newly opened Newseum in Washington. Leonsis was honored for engaging global audiences through his socially conscious films, Nanking and Kicking It, as well as his pioneering work to connect people worldwide through Internet technology. Leonsis is Vice Chairman Emeritus of AOL, owner of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League, and Chairman of Clearspring Technologies and Revolution Money. Pearl, an international journalist, was honored for her dedication to international reporting and commitment to spreading a global message of hope. Pearl has reported and produced documentaries on culture, science, immigration, and politics. She authored the 2007 book, In Search of Hope: The Global Diaries of Mariane Pearl, about the everyday heroes she met writing her column for Glamour magazine. She also wrote the book, A Mighty Heart, which was made into a critically-acclaimed film, about her husband Daniel Pearl’s kidnapping and murder in Pakistan in 2002 while he was reporting for the Wall Street Journal. The awards also honored three outstanding media leaders from Kenya, Vietnam, and Ukraine: –Tole Nyatta, a reporter at a community radio station based in Nairobi’s Kibera slum, one of the largest slums in Africa, whose broadcasts have proved to be a reliable and impartial source of information; –Hoang Quoc Dzung, a founder of the Vietnam Forum of Environmental Journalists who carried out a landmark investigative report uncovering the illegal trade in macaque monkeys; –Natalia Ligacheva, editor of Telekritika, a Ukrainian web-based media watchdog that is now also a radio program and printed magazine. Internews, a nonprofit based in California with an office in Washington, D.C., has worked in 70 countries worldwide to empower people worldwide with the news and information they need and the means to make their voices heard. For more information, please visit http://www.internews.orgInformation is the power that can change the world. We are in the midst of a revolution in human communication that is profoundly reshaping our future. Yet, for nearly half the planet, the promise of this revolution has not been fulfilled. The mission of Internews is to empower people worldwide with the news and information they need, the ability to connect, and the means to make their voices heard. Our Vision for the Future We envision a world where everyone can communicate freely with anyone, anywhere, and exchange the news and information they need to shape the future of their communities and the world. Our Values The Power of Information: We believe that free flowing, locally produced and editorially independent news and information has the power to transform lives and enrich communities. Journalistic Integrity: We uphold the values of journalistic independence and professional ethics in our work, in our organization and with our funders. Consistent with these values, Internews advocates for the importance of quality, local, independent media and the right to access information, but does not take a position on other policy issues. We reject any funding or support that would compromise our organizational independence. Innovation: Working in some of the most difficult environments around the world, Internews pioneers applications of new technologies for development and designs and implements innovative solutions to programmatic and operational challenges. Persistence: We recognize that social progress involves a commitment to long-term engagement, flexibility in approach, and persistent encouragement of partners and programs. Activities Formed in 1982, Internews Network is a 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in California . It has worked in 70 countries, and currently has offices in 23 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America . Internews Network is a founding member of Internews International, an umbrella organization, based in Paris , made up of 12 media development NGOs. Since inception, Internews has worked with 4,300 radio and television stations and print publications. Internews activities include: Training. Internews trains over 9,000 media professionals each year in journalism, production, and management. For more advanced students, Internews offers training in topics such as computer graphics, media law, and investigative journalism. more Production. To strengthen the independent media sector, Internews works with local media professionals to produce original, high-quality programming. Last year this came to 5600 hours of television and radio programming, with a combined potential audience of nearly 400 million radio listeners and over 380 million TV viewers. more Media infrastructure. Internews provides a broad range of infrastructure support to enable independent media to provide vital news and information, including providing journalists and stations with production equipment, creating production studios, and building radio stations from the ground up. more Media law and policy. To allow independent media to fulfill their watchdog function, Internews has worked for the adoption and implementation of fair media laws and policies in 21 countries. more As part of its work fostering independent media and access to information, Internews has developed special global programs in health journalism, environmental journalism, humanitarian media, information and communications technology, and governance and transparency. Donors Internews Network is primarily supported by grants. Funders have included the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Coxe- Otus Fund, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the GE Foundation, the Gregory C. Carr Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Foundation, the National Endowment for Democracy, the National Science Foundation, the Open Society Institute, the United Nations Foundation, UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of State, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the World Bank, and many others. The organization has a budget of $26 million for 2007.